so i used to be on the depo shot....worst mistake of my life! without going into many details i feel as though it ruined me!!!! i went on the shot because i wanted to have something wth the least amount of chance to forget because i am not good at taking meds at the same time every time......anyways this was after haveing my son braxton who is now almost 3.......i have been off depo now for 15 months......i have used no other method of birth control, but i guess we have not exactly tried either but i have not become pregnant........i fear that i will never be able to have another child.....im 20 years old and i fear that i will never be able to have another child and it worries me so much! i had my son at 17 and i def was not trying to get preg.....it just happened........this was the first month that i conciously tried to have intercourse at the correct time so i will not be able to know anything for a week and half when i am due for my next period.......is there anyone else who was on depo and had problems conceiving? i mean is this something i should worry about even though we really did not try to conceive but we did nothing to prevent it either.....i just want to get pregnant!!

Hi Aletam....I started Depo after having my 1st child. I was on it for 2 years. While on it, I did not get a period. After 2 years on it, I decided to stop it to try for another child. Well, month after month, my period was not coming, and thinking maybe I ovulated and got pregnant, I was taking test after test hoping to have that positive result. Well, 2 years later....still nothing....no period....no pregnancy. So, I went to a specialist and was started on Clomid. I was on Clomid for 4 months and got pregnant. Those 4 months that I was on Clomid were the ONLY months that I got a period in the first 5 years after I stopped Depo! The only reason why I even got that period is cause the Clomid forced it. After I had my 2nd child, again.....no periods. It wasn't until 5 years after I stopped Depo that I got my 1st non-induced period. THEN...when I did get my period....I only got it a few times a year. To make a very long story short, my period did not regulate til 9 years after I stopped Depo!!! I did end up getting pregnant again last year (June) without trying. Wasn't planned at all....so now I have a 3 month old son.....and a 10 year old son and a daughter who will be 15 in August. So, it's been almost 15 years since I started Depo....and 13 years since I've been off.

So, yes.....Depo was a nightmare for me. It screwed me up for years!!! I never thought I would be able to have more kids. Once I had my 2nd one, I was grateful, and accepted that he would most likely be the last one. Well, I was blessed with a 3rd one....that happened with no effort.

My advice.....actually try.....if after 6 months you are NOT pregnant, see a specialist....a reproductive endocrinologist would probably be your best bet if your insurance allows it and have them help you get pregnant.

A few questions for you.........

Did you have a period while on Depo?
Are you getting your period every month now? Regular?
Do you have ANY other symptoms that developed since you started using Depo?

The reason I ask is because I mysteriously developed PCOS after using Depo and I know I had NONE of these issues prior to using Depo. The doctor that diagnosed my PCOS was out of Mayo Clinic in Minnesota (very reputable medical facility). He told me that he has diagnosed many women with PCOS after using Depo.

I was on depo for about a year when in college and then when I read how many problems could arise when trying to conceive and the time it may take, I decided to go off it and start taking birth control pills (because at that time, I wasn't interested in getting pregnant). When I was fnally ready, I had VERY irregular periods which made TTC a nightmare! I had some tests done when my period was absent for more than 2 months but everything came back showing I should be ovulating...my OBGYN wanted to put me on Clomid but also wanted to test my husband first. To make a long story short, his count was very low so we had to resort to IVF. We have a 2 year old through IVF and I am now pregnant with twins from a frozen cycle we did. I had 2 different specialists (REs) that helped me get pregnant and it wasn't until more than 3 years past that the 2nd doctor said I had PCOS but after further looking, he said it must have cleared up on its own...of course that was after a few cycles of IVF and being pumped with manufactured hormones. Either way, I don't know if Depo had residual effects with my body. However, after getting pregnant with my first daughter, I did have regular cycles but still needed to do IVF for my 2nd (and 3rd) child due to my husband's issues.
I agree with the previous poster, actually TRY to conceive. It may not "just happen" the way you want it to. You can do some things like use OPKs and chart your temperature to time it better. I know you may not want to hear this and it's something I HATED hearing when I was trying, but you are so young! You are blessed to have your age on your side...even if you may need some intervention with a specialist, your age should definitely help you out. And, be patient. The average person with "normal" cycles and virtualy no problems have only a 20% chance of conceiving every month if everything is timed just right. And a procedure like IVF (which I don't think you'd need) can increase your chances to 50% but still, people don't get pregnant with this every time. Good luck!!!

i have now been having my peiod since september.....i had a very hard time right before it started.....my doctor thought that i had ovarian cysts because i was in so much pain it was getting to the pont where it was almost unbearable! ultrasound came back clear and everything was fine and mysteriously the pain went away....3 weeks later returned and then went aways and i started my period but it was just spotting......i now do have a pretty regular cycle about every 28-30 days and it lasts 3-5 days.....i would say that is pretty average, but before i started any kind of bc i would start same date every month on the dot and every mnth in the morning.......so it isnt as regular as it once was but i dont know if it ever will be.......and km my boyfriend is the father of our almost 3 yr old son......would we still need to get him checked out even though he was able to get me pregnant once before? and what is pcos?

If your boyfriend has gotten you pg, then there is most probably no issues there. PCOS is Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome that among other symptoms, can cause you to skip your period due to not ovulating. Keep trying...it will most probably happen if your periods are regular and you've been pregnant before. I would just be more diligent about it. Good luck!

thanks so much! im so glad to have some reasurrance....right now it seems like everyone but me is getting pregnant and it is driving me nuts and making me feel so bad! i just want to be pregnant so bad, but i kno i must be patient! thanks so much for the replies!

Aletam- I started the depo shot shortly after my son was born when I was 19 years old. I had 3 shots- after the first one, no side effects. The second, I started having weird pains, and felt somewhat depressed, paranoid my husband was out to hurt me emotionally. The 3rd one, completely destroyed me. Headaches, weight gain, panic attacks, muscle pains, no period- It was awful. My husband and I split up during that time unfortunately.

I met someone else, and although we weren't trying to get pregnant we didn't exactly take much precautions either for the first year. It took almost a year and 1/2 for my periods to return, and 2+ years for me to become pregnant with my daughter. After my daughter, my fertility seemed to return full force and I'm on baby #4.

The depo seems to have minimal effects on some women, and for others, it's a complete nightmare unfortunately. I wouldn't sweat it too much. At least now the medical community recognizes there ARE side effects to these shots for a lot of women- I talked to my midwife and then an OB-GYN about my symptoms, both assured me that it wasn't the shot causing them, that maybe I should see a therapist! That was 7-8 years ago though. Now they have better warnings.

I would give it an honest 3-6 cycles of true trying to conceive before panicking. Maybe you could buy those ovulation predictor kits? Try going over to the Trying To Conceive board and getting advice, lots of fun stuff about cervical mucous and the position of your cervix during your fertile time.

thanks so much for the advice and you know the further away from the shot iget the less panic and anxiety.....i have health anxiety but i have not had a true anxiety attack for about 4 months......my bp was a little elevated but im not sure if that was die to the shot or if maybe its just still a littl elevated due to the problems i had while i was pregnant one of them being high bp.....but thanks and i think i will head over to the trying to conceive!

Hi all.. I am post depo as well and while we are not actively trying (ie watching temperatures for ovulation) we are just letting it happen when it happens.

The stats..
Last shot 2/2/10
Estimated end of shot 5/31/10

I'm now 6 months post end of depo shot and still have yet to had a full period. I have had some mild spotting a few months ago, but now I'm on day 2 of nausea (praying to got its what i think and not something else). First day reacted very badly with coffee of all things. I drink coffee sometimes so its totally weird that I would even react to this. I do not have tender breast like my mom, sister, etc said I would. I've got an appointment with ob/gyn on Monday to confirm/check me out.